Milwaukee will not have achieved the feat of winning against Indiana for the first time this season. The Bucks are therefore already on vacation. Despite the return of Damian Lillard, it was the Pacers who dictated their law, not passing up the opportunity to complete the series at home.
Despite a hesitant start, Indiana was there in the first half, achieving a 15-4 marked by 7 points from Obi Toppin, before the big pass from TJ McConnell, on two interceptions which brought two points to Tyrese Haliburton on the dunk and Obi Toppin on the throw (27-19).
The Bucks’ 7-2 response at the start of the second quarter with the Lillard-Middleton-Lopez trio at the helm did not cool Indiana, who started again after a 10-2 fueled by the arrows of Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith (45-34).
Haliburton at the top
Milwaukee tried to hang on, between the brilliant shots of Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez in bulldozer mode (14 points each at the break). But the highlights were for Indiana, like Haliburton’s tap for himself, Nesmith’s new 3-pointer or the Haliburton-Toppin aerial connection to allow the locals to reach the locker room at +12 (59-47).
The Bucks tried to ignite the slightest spark in the second half, but Indiana showed great control. Not far from sinking in the face of 3-pointers from Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith and Obi Toppin twice, Khris Middleton’s teammates nevertheless maintained the suspense until the end of the third quarter, briefly returning to -7 following a new basket from Brook Lopez (85-78). Before giving up for good.
There was first an 8-0 with a 3-pointer from TJ McConnell to end the third quarter (93-78) then a masterfully managed start to the fourth quarter to ensure the gap around 20 points, with TJ McConnell still involved, to shine or make his teammates shine, like his last pass of the match for Isaiah Jackson’s fierce dunk.
Winners 120-98, the Pacers thus offered themselves a big victory before reaching the conference semi-finals to challenge the Knicks, who eliminated the Sixers in six rounds.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The McConnell pile. Another great performance from him coming off the bench. His entry into play set the tone with his two interceptions but also the tone set by the match, his aggressiveness in defense, everything that makes him such a rare and appreciable player, especially when you have him on your team . Always so hyper active, he scored a career record in the playoffs with 20 points (7/9 shooting, 2/2 3-pointers) to go along with his 9 assists and 4 interceptions in 23 minutes.
– Pacers back in conference semifinals. This time we can say it, the Pacers are indeed back among the bigwigs of the Eastern Conference. In Indianapolis, the “Process” took ten years since we have to go back to the 2013-2014 season to find any trace of Indiana in the conference semi-finals. Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam thus succeed Paul George, David West and Roy Hibbert of the time.
– The Bucks come out with their heads held high. Doc Rivers’ troops don’t have much to complain about in the series even if they finished very short in Game 6. Deprived of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and partially of Damian Lillard, the Bucks still snatched two games, and were not far from taking a third, in Game 3. Already a small feat considering the circumstances, even if this season looks like a fiasco.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
